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"I truly believe if people just read that first chapter, they would be hooked."

When Lara at Story Storming said this about my tribal fantasy novella, Wings Beneath Water, I told her I could do one better: I would give permission for her to post the first TWO chapters on her blog. The "Look Inside" feature on Amazon doesn't even get through Chapter One, so this is a treat!

In Lara's words: "Guess what. It's my birthday. And today, I have a special treat for you. A sneak peek into Yaasha Moriah’s amazing novella, Wings Beneath Water. Two whole chapters! Because why wouldn’t someone who’s passionate about stories want to share one of their favorite reads of all time on their birthday?"

I'm so grateful that I can be part of Lara's birthday celebration (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LARA!) and share this gift with all of you as well. Check out the blog post at Story Storming and give Lara a cheerful Happy Birthday greeting!

Who doesn't want to get a Kindle book for 99 cents? Beginning at 12 a.m. PST this Friday (the 23rd) and midnight PST the following Monday (the 26th), the following ebooks will begin at $0.99 before returning to their regular price of $2.99 for a Kindle Countdown Deal. Grab your copy by Friday to get the best price!

My First Impressions

​Steampunk. Dragons. Shifters. Airships. Mystery. True love. I don't often read steampunk, but when I do, I'm intrigued by the creativity. Lawless does not disappoint. This first installment of the Ironfire Legacy was delightful just in the fact that it combines so many elements in a world rich with its own culture and politics. (Some inclusions make this story definitely an adult book, as we'll see.)

In the first episode, the Incredibles visited the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Beartooth Pass, Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, and Schweitzer Resort. In the second, they journeyed to the Cascades, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, the Oregon Coast, Yaquina Lighthouse, Crater Lake, the redwoods and sequoias, and Redrock Canyon.

"I want to see mountains, Gandalf, mountains! And then find some place quiet to write my book." - Bilbo Baggins

The Monster first entered my life in November 2017. It was a very intrusive monster, showing up when I least expected it, rousing me from sleep, and slowly creeping into my work, even when I beat it back.

After several visits with the Wizard of Healing, the Wizard at last identified the name of the Monster, a name which sounded like a violent sneeze. "But I'm not sure which spells would banish it yet. This is a rare monster, and very difficult to get rid of. I will send you to consult with more Wizards."

When the Monster decided to barge into my life on a massive scale, my job as a Keeper of Very Important Papers had to come to an end. The next week, my Dragon's job as a Manager of Very Important Business came to an end due to downsizing.

Here we were, Phoenix and Dragon, unemployed, with a great Monster living in my body. What was next?

There are three pillars to my writing philosophy: the beautiful, the painful, and the numinous. There are books that delight me, and books that engage me, but the books that truly move me are those which create in me that peculiar sensation of which C. S. Lewis spoke when he described The Lord of the Rings:

“Here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron. Here is a book which will break your heart."

​That is what I aim for when I write: the beauty of the breaking and the nearness of things too sacred to be uttered.

Today, I write about Beauty as explored in the work of Stephen Lawhead.

That's essentially what The Crossover Alliance and I said to each other back in 2016 when I signed the contract for The Crossover Alliance to publish my superhero novella WITHOUT A VISION. The Crossover Alliance was still a new publisher in a growing niche in publishing. Up until then, I had published only indie. We were both taking chances on each other.

But we were both passionate about the same vision. And that made it worth the risk.